Prepared Floors on Mound A Revealed through Near-Surface Geophysics

Summary

Mound A is the largest earthen construction at Poverty Point and the second largest mound in North America. Limited excavations on the mound have documented the construction history of the deposit, but have failed to find evidence of how the mound was used. Recent geophysical surveys (including resistivity, ground penetrating radar, and magnetometry) reveal specialized use areas – including prepared floors that we interpret as dance and presentation platforms. The discovery of these platforms suggests that the mound was not simply an earthen pile, but rather a focal point for ritual gatherings whose height allowed greater visibility of activities taking place on it. The successful application of geophysics on Mound A also highlights the applicability of near-surface geophysics as a technique for better understanding other earthen construction at Poverty Point and elsewhere.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22737